Sofa-bed and folding bed-frame therefor



April 12, 1966 M. P. SPlTZ SOFA-BED AND FOLDING BED-FRAME THEREFOR Filed May 15, 1964 R M3 s w/ un n w M r w 7 ture.

United States Patent 3,245,091 SOFA-BED AND FOLDING BED-FRAME THEREFOR Melvin P. Spitz, Beverly Hills, Calif., assignor to Bedline Inc., Bell Gardens, Calif., a corporation of California Filed May 15, 1964, Ser. No. 367,657 3 Claims. (Cl. -51) The present invention relates generally to a foldable sofa-bed or davenport of the type having a sectionalized bed-frame which may be folded to one position to provide a sofa seat, and extended to another position to form a bed; and is more particularly concerned with improvements in the bed-frame and the cooperative relationship of the flexible fabric supporting means associated therewith.

Foldable sofa-bed constructions have heretofore embodied folding bed-frames having inherent disadvantages, primarily due to the necessity of differences in operating functions of certain parts, for example, when the bedframe is extended to form a bed, and when it is folded to form a sofa seat. Attempts have been made to provide flexible fabric supporting meansof canvas, intercon' nected wire links and other structural materials which would properly function to resiliently support the bed mattress when the bed-frame was extended, and yet in the folded position would provide a suitable sofa seat. The prior arrangements have not been entirely satisfactory in this respect, and it is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a combination of flexible fabric materials which are so interconnected and mounted that they will cooperatively be longitudinally tensioned as a unit when the bed-frame is extended, and wherein the material forming the sofa seat, in the folded position of the bed-frame, will be independently tensioned so as to form a firm, taut but yieldable support for seat cushions placed thereon.

A further object is to provide flexible fabric supporting means which are so arranged that the fabric means forming the sofa seat portion, when the bedframe is folded, will exert a substantially even pressure transversely of and against the adjacent portion of a mattress folded within the frame structure. Thus, upward crowning of the mattress at the center of the sofa seat is prevented and a more comfortable seat produced in which unsightly and undesirable bulging is substantially eliminated.

In the prior available structures, the general conformance of the flexible fabric means around the folded portion of the mattress, when the bed-frame was in folded position to form a sofa seat, embodied an arrangement such that a considerable gap would be left between the front most portion of the sofa seat and the front board of the sofa or davenport frame structure. This gap along the front of the seat is very undesirable in that it permitted the front edges of the seat cushions to sag and thus provide an unsightly as well as an uncomfortable support as a sofa seat. In the present invention, the supporting fabric material is so arranged that this material in the folded position of the bed-frame extends forwardly in a manner to substantially bridge this gap and form a taut but yieldable support for the cushions at the front of the sofa seat.

In sofa-bed structures of the character forming the subject matter of the present invention, it is the usual custom for the sofa or davenport frame to be furnished by a furniture manufacturer, while the bed-rame structure is furnished as a separate unit by another manufac Efforts have been made in the past to eliminate the gap between the front board of the davenport or sofa frame structure and the bed-frame in its folded 3,245,091 Patented Apr. 12, 1966 ice position by providing means which involve the added services of both an upholsterer of the furniture manufacturer, and the services of the bed-frame unit manufacturer. This produced a divided and expensive operation and necessitated the use of special expensive constructions. In the present invention, it is proposed to provide an improved arrangement wherein the gap may be eliminated by means of a structure and arrangement of parts which are confined entirely to the bed-frame unit, and which will not require later additional services of the furniture manufacturer to complete the upholstering after the bed-frame unit is installed.

Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sofa-bed or davenport according to the present invention, the bed-frame being in folded position, and the sofa seat cushions being removed and a portion of the front board being cut away to disclose the operative relaionship of certain parts;

FIG. 2 is a similar view, showing the bed-frame in extended position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 1, the bed-frame being in folded position; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the bed-frame showing the relationship of certain of the sections thereof in extended position.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes, the present invention is shown as being incorporated in a sofa or davenport frame structure as generally indicated by the numeral 10. This frame structure is of box-like configuration and is fabricated with a sofa back 11, and arms 12 and 13, these arms being connected at the front by a front panel or board 14. This frame structure may comprise any well-known, standard, upholstered construction such as supplied by a furniture manufacturer, and is arranged so that the back, arms and front board cooperate to form a hollow box base for receiving a foldable bed-frame unit, as generally indicated by the numeral 15.

The bed-frame unit 15 is usually separately fabricated by a separate manufacturer other than the manufacturer of the sofa-frame structure, and is adapted to be assembled in the davenport structure. As shown best in FIG. 2, the bed-frame unit includes a plurality of pivotally interconnected transversely extending frame sections which are arranged in end-to-end relation. More specifi cally, the connected frame sections consist of a head section 16, a body section 17, an intermediate section 18 and a foot section 19. These sections, as thus arranged, form a foldable bed-frame structure which may be extended to provide a substantially rectangular frame structure,having articulated side rails as generally indicated by the numerals 20 and 21, respectively, which are interconnected by a transversely extending head end member 22 and a foot end member 23.

Flexible fabric supporting means for a bed mattress 24, as shown in FIG. 3, is provided within the bed-frame structure. In the present invention, the supporting means is shown as comprising an interconnected link fabric section 25 which is stretched within the head section 16, body section 17 and intermediate section 18. At its sides, the fabric section 25 is connected with the respective side rails 20 and 21 by means of coiled springs 26 which serve to tension the fabric section in a transverse direction. At the head end of the fabric section 25, the section is connected to the head end member 22 by similar coiled springs 27.

The foot section is provided with a fabric section 28 of suitable material such as relatively heavy canvas. This section, it will be observed is not connected laterally to the side rails of the bed-frame. However, the foot end of the section 28 has its edge connected with the foot end member 23 by a plurality of coiled springs 27.

The opposite end of the fabric section 28, which is disposed adjacent the foot end of fabric section 25, is provided with an intermediate transversely extending end flap 29, as shown in FIG. 4, this fiap having one edge secured along a line of stitching 30 to the adjacent edge margin of section 28, as indicated by the numeral 31. The end flap 2f and edge margin 31 thus form double edge marginal portions with respect to this end of the fabric section 28. The opposite edge of the flap 29 is secured to the adjacent edge of section 25 by suitable means. For example, the fabric material may be formed into an edge loop 32 to receive an elongate metal wire or rod 33 to which the adjacent longitudinally extending links of sec tion 25 may be afiixed by suitable wire or metal fasteners. As thus connected, the coiled springs 2727 at the head and foot ends of the bed-frame structure will coact to longitudinally tension the fabric sections 25 and 28, when the bed-frame is in extended position as shown in FIG. 2. In this position, it will be observed that the bed-frame is positioned above the front board 14 and extends forwardly thereof.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the edge margin 31 of the fabric section 28 is carried around a transversely extending bar member or part 34 which is secured to and extends transversely of the intermediate frame section 18. The bar 34 as thus arranged is spaced from the pivotal axis formed by the pivot 35 in the connection between the intermediate section 18 and foot section 19. The fabric material of the edge margin 31 may be connected in any suitable manner to the bar 34, and for such purpose rivets as shown at 36 may be used. The length of the edge margin 31 is so chosen that in the extended position of the bed-frame, the edge margin 31 will be in a slack condition and will be ineffectual for tensioning the supporting means.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 1, it will be observed that when the bed-frame structure is moved to a folded position, it will be disposed rearwardly of the front board 14, and in this position, the foot section 19 will be disposed uppermost, and that the flexible fabric section 28 will be in a position to provide a sofa seat. The section 25 and end flap 29, as shown in FIG. 3 will be pulled around the folded mattress so as to form a retaining medium therefor. Also in this position, it will be seen that as a result of the angular change in the relative positions of the intermediate section and foot section with respect to the pivot 35, the edge margin 31 will now be stretched taut and coact with the coil springs 27 at the foot end member 23 to independently tension the fabric section 28 so that it will transversely exert substantially even pressure against the folded mattress thereunder and oppose any tendency of the mattress to crown upwardly at the center and cause unsightly undesirable bulges in the sofa seat.

It will also be evident in FIG. 3, that the arrangement of the present invention permits the use of a folding bedframe structure in which the bar 34 may be disposed in close proximity to the upholstered or otherwise finished front board 14. Also, that the edge margin 31, in the folded position, provides an extension of the fabric section 28 which substantially closes the gap between the front board and the folded mattress, and provides a positive support at the front end of the sofa seat.

It will also be appreciated that with the structure of the present invention, there is no physical connection at the front board 14, between it and the foldable bed-frame unit. Accordingly, the services of the bed-frame manufacturer may be completed in its entirety, and also the upholstering and other services of the furniture manufacturer may be completed in its entirety prior to assembly of the structures to form a complete article of furniture, and that no additional work needs to be done after assembly by either the furniture manufacturer or the supplier of the bed-frame unit in order to obtain desirable coaction at the front board and obtain a non-sagging seat structure along the front of the sofa seat, when the frame is in folded position.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that it will be clearly apparent that the stated objectives will be obtained by the structure according to the foregoing description.

Various modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, and, hence, I do not wish to be restricted to the specific form shown or uses mentioned, except to the extent indicated in the appended claims, wherein various portions have been separated for clarity of reading and not for emphasis.

I claim:

1. A folding bed structure for mounting in a box-like frame structure of sofa beds and the like having a fixed front board member, comprising:

(a) a foldable frame including a plurality of frame sections pivotally interconnected for selective movements to an extended position to form a bed projecting beyond the front board member of the frame structure, and to a folded position extending generally rearwardly of the front board with one of said frame sections uppermost to form a sofa seat;

(b) flexible fabric supporting means carried by said frame sections and being longitudinally tensioned over said frame sections in said extending position, said supporting means including a fabric section in said one frame section and a fabric section in the other of said frame sections, said fabric sections being in end-to-end relation and interconnected at their adjacent ends;

(c) a fla p of flexible fabric connected along one side margin with the fabric section in said one frame section so as to form an extension thereof adjacent its connected end; and

(d) a transversely extending frame part carried by the frame section having a pivotal connection with said one frame section adapted to lie in close proximity to the top of said front board in said folded position, said part being connected with an opposite side margin of said flap, whereby the fabric of the flap extension coacts in said folded position to bridge the space rearwardly of the front board and apply tension forces to the fabric section in said one frame section.

2. A folding bed structure according to claim '1, wherein the connection at the connected adjacent ends of the fabric sections includes a transverse rod member, and said frame part comprises an elongate bar member.

3. A folding bed structure for mounting in a box-like frame structure of sofa beds and the like having a fixed front board member, comprising:

(a) a foldable bed frame including head, body, intermediate and foot frame sections pivotally interconnected for selective movements to an extended position to form a bed projecting beyond and above the front board member of the frame structure, and to a folded position with the intermediate section substantially upright in rearwardly spaced relation to the front board, and with the foot section uppermost and extending rearwardly to form a sofa seat;

(b) flexible fabric supporting means carried by and longitudinally tensioned over said frame sections when in the extended position, said supporting means including a first fabric section in the foot frame section and a second fabric section in the other frame sect-ion in end-to-end relation, the adjacent end of the 5 6 first section being provided .with connected double front board and independently tension the first secedge forming marginal portions; tion fabric. (0) means connecting one of said edge marginal portions with the adjacent end of said second fabric References Cited y the Examine! Section; and 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS (d) a transversely extending frame part carried by said intermediate frame section adaptedto lie in close $3 proximity to said front board in said folded position 2982975 5/1961 Goodman-1 of the .bed frame, said part being connected with the other of said edge marginal portions, whereby said 10 FRANK B SHERRY Primary Examiner other marginal portion coacts in the folded :po-sition of the bed frame to bridge the space adjacent the FARLEY, Assistant Examiner- 

3. A FOLDING BED STRUCTURE FOR MOUNTING IN A BOX-LIKE FRAME STRUCTURE OF SOFA BEDS AND THE LIKE HAVING A FIXED FRONT BOARD MEMBER, COMPRISING: (A) A FOLDABLE BED FRAME INCLUDING HEAD, BODY, INTERMEDIATE AND FOOT FRAME SECTIONS PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED FOR SELECTIVE MOVEMENTS TO AN EXTENDED POSITION TO FORM A BED PROJECTING BEYOND AND ABOVE THE FRONT BOARD MEMBER OF THE FRAME STRUCTURE, AND TO A FOLDED POSITION WITH THE INTERMEDIATE SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY UPRIGHT IN REARWARDLY SPACED RELATION TO THE FRONT BOARD, AND WITH THE FOOT SECTION UPPERMOST AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY TO FORM A SOFA SEAT; (B) FLEXIBLE FABRIC SUPPORTING MEANS CARRIED BY AND LONGITUDINALLY TENSIONED OVER SAID FRAME SECTIONS WHEN IN THE EXTENDED POSITION, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST FABRIC SECTION IN THE FOOT FRAME SECTION AND A SECOND FABRIC SECTION IN THE OTHER FRAME SECTION IN END-TO-END RELATION, THE ADJACENT END OF THE FIRST SECTION BEING PROVIDED WITH CONNECTED DOUBLE EDGE FORMING MARGINAL PORTIONS; (C) MEANS CONNECTING ONE OF SAID EDGE MARGINAL PORTIONS WITH THE ADJACENT END OF SAID SECOND FABRIC SECTION; AND (D) A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING FRAME PART CARRIED BY SAID INTERMEDIATE FRAME SECTION ADAPTED TO LIE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID FRONT BOARD IN SAID FOLDED POSITION OF THE BED FRAME, SAID PART BEING CONNECTED WITH THE OTHER OF SAID EDGE MARGINAL PORTIONS, WHEREBY SAID OTHER MARGINAL PORTION COACTS IN THE FOLDED POSITION OF THE BEAD FRAME TO BRIDGE THE SPACE ADJACENT THE FRONT BOARD AND INDEPENDENTLY TENSION THE FIRST SECTION FABRIC. 